Cultural landscapes of the German-speaking countries in transition

Teacher(s)

Berger Grazia;

Language

Deutsch

Main themes

1. Material realities and communities; 
2. Political and social organisation (Government); 
3. Moral realities and places of remembrance 
4. Intellectual, philosophical, and religious realities; 
5. Synthesis of the achievements, struggles, weaknesses, and hopes of these communities. 

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	In-depth analysis of the political, economic, social and cultural developments and structures within the German-speaking/English-speaking/Dutch-speaking communities of Europe, including an understanding of important places of remembrance
2	Acquire an in-depth understanding of contemporary life in these communities, considering the cultural and social aspects and the places of remembrance that have forged their identity.
3	Develop a command of the German language (or the language of the linguistic group studied), enabling an advanced understanding of the German-speaking world and its heritage, including its historical and memorial dimensions.
This learning unit contributes to the development and command of the following skills and learning outcomes of the ELAL programmes 3.6; 6.4; 6.6

Content

The course pursues two main objectives:

1. to provide an introduction to German geography, history, political life, and society;
2. to introduce students to various sites of memory in Germany, Switzerland, and/or Austria.

Sites of memory have played an important role in the construction and transmission of collective memory. Examples addressed in the course include for example the Berlin Wall, the city of Weimar, and the Rhine.
As the course is aimed at first-year undergraduate students who are also in the process of learning German, historical, literary, and theoretical texts at an accessible linguistic level will complement the lectures. The course will make use of PowerPoint presentations, a range of multimedia materials, timelines and chronological overviews, as well as geographical and historical maps.

Teaching methods

- Face-to-face: Lectures and presentations encouraging active student participation, supported by weekly preparatory readings. Various media and technologies are regularly used (excerpts from film adaptations, videos, maps, photos, etc.).

Evaluation methods

Continuous assessment (during the academic year):

• Oral presentation of a site of memory relevant to German-speaking cultures, together with the submission of written work on the selected site of memory (40%).

Final assessment during the June examination session:

• Written examination covering the course material (50%).
• Participation and attendance (10%), assessed throughout the academic year.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI), where used, must be used responsibly and in accordance with academic and scientific integrity practices. As academic integrity requires sources to be properly cited, the use of AI must always be disclosed.

Other information

The course is taught predominantly in German. Where necessary, texts may be translated from French into German or from German into French to facilitate comprehension.

Online resources

PowerPoint presentations available on Moodle.

Bibliography

François, Etienne / Schulze, Hagen (éd.) : Deutsche Erinnerungsorte. Munich: C.H. Beck 2001, 2007.
Mai, Manfred : Deutsche Geschichte. Gulliver von Beltz & Gelberg; Neuausgabe Edition (5. März 2019)
Nora, Pierre (dir.) : Les Lieux de mémoire. (3 volumes). Paris : Gallimard 1992,1997.
Sabrow, Martin (éd.): Erinnerungsorte der DDR. Munich : C.H. Beck 2009.
Schmidt, Sabine; Schmidt Karin (éd.): Erinnerungsorte. Deutsche Geschichte im DaF-Unterricht. Materialien und Kopiervorlagen. Berlin: Cornelsen 2006/2017.
Wieviorka, Olivier / Winock, Michel (dir.): Les lieux de l’histoire de France. Paris : Perrin 2017, 2019.
Pour le volet politique: Tatsachen über Deutschland. https://www.tatsachen-ueber-deutschland.de/de
Pour le volet histoire : https://www.dhm.de/lemo/ 

Faculty or entity

> ELAL